Icy and remote, the continent of Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest, and southernmost place on Earth. It is located almost entirely below the Antarctic Circle and is surrounded by the frigid Southern Ocean. As a continent, Antarctica is a large expanse of land. It is the Earth’s fifth-largest continent: larger than Europe, and nearly twice as large as Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered in sheets of ice that average more than a mile or nearly two kilometres in thickness. Compared to other continents, Antarctica was only recently discovered. Although the existence of a huge southern continent was rumoured for thousands of years, Antarctica was not seen by humans until the 19th century. It was believed to be first sighted in 1820, but the first confirmed landing was not until 1895. This is because Antarctica was so cold and unwelcoming that there was little interest in exploring it. Mapmakers called the new continent ‘Antarctica,’ from a Greek word meaning the ‘opposite of the Arctic,’ or north. Although it is so cold, Antarctica is a desert, with very little rain or snow. What snow there is accumulates, and builds up into massive sheets of ice. This ice takes different forms, including glaciers, ice shelves, and icebergs. Because of the thick sheets of ice covering the continent, Antarctica has the highest average elevation of any continent in the world.
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There are only two seasons in Antarctica: summer, and winter. Because Antarctica is located at the Earth’s south pole, each summer brings long periods of sunlight, and winter brings long periods of darkness. During the summer, the sun remains in the sky longer and longer each day, until midsummer, where near the south pole the sun stays up for 24 hours a day. During the winter, it is dark for longer and longer each day, until midwinter, when there are some days that the sun does not rise at all. Antarctica has no trees or bushes. Only moss and lichens and algae can survive in such a cold climate. Very few animals survive in the frozen desert of Antarctica, either. If you were to visit Antarctica, you would likely see only penguins, some other seabirds, and seals. More animal species are found in the waters around Antarctica: fish, and whales, as well as squid, molluscs, and other invertebrates.
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Today, Antarctica is not a country and has no government. It does not belong to any country, although parts of the continent are claimed by several countries. Antarctica is the only continent to have a population of zero: although anywhere between one to five thousand people visit each year, no one lives there permanently. Aside from tourists, who only visit during the summer, most activity on Antarctica is scientific. The frozen continent is protected by an international treaty that prohibits military activity or mining, setting it aside as a “natural reserve devoted to peace and science.